0:02

You may not even be using it, but one of the

0:05

most powerful tools in your parenting toolbox

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is also one of the greatest privileges you

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can have, and that is to pray

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for your children, to take their

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situations and their character and their future

0:17

to the throne of God. We

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want to talk about that today. I'm John

0:22

Fuller with Dr. Danny Huerta. Danny, how do

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you pray for your children? I suspect you've

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got some things that will

0:29

inspire somebody. Most of the

0:31

time in English, John. No, I'm just joking. Well,

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you can pray in Spanish, right? Do you

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ever do that? Yeah, actually I do. I

0:38

do sometimes. I do it in Spanish, but

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most of the time now it's in English

0:42

here with my kids, and they have asked me,

0:44

hey, can you do it in Spanish? But what

0:47

I love to do when I'm praying is

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I love to picture each

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of the children. I have their picture in my

0:53

mind, and I think about

0:56

words of blessing. I think about certain verses.

0:58

I'll open up the Bible to a

1:00

certain spot, usually the Psalms or in

1:03

Isaiah. I'll rearrange

1:05

some of the words to fit into a

1:07

prayer. And another

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thing that I commonly pray is, Lord,

1:12

help my kids see you today. Help

1:14

them hear you today. Remove

1:17

things that need to be removed so that they

1:19

grow closer to you. Do

1:21

whatever you need to do to draw them

1:23

near to you. And sometimes that

1:26

could be hard things, and I need to be okay with

1:28

that when I'm praying for that. That

1:30

it's not about clearing everything for my

1:32

kids, but strengthen them so that they

1:35

can fulfill the purpose that they've been

1:37

created to fulfill, and also to find

1:40

meaning and purpose in this life as

1:42

his children. And

1:45

I've had moments where I've been teary-eyed

1:47

thinking of that, because it could mean

1:49

there are moments that are difficult and

1:51

somewhat painful for my kids. Yet

1:54

I want them to learn how

1:56

to follow Christ no matter

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what. have those deeper

2:00

conversations at home and I've said sometimes

2:03

I pray that God will do whatever he needs

2:05

to do with you guys and I want you

2:07

to know that because I want you guys to

2:09

have a steadfast faith. Yeah. That's immovable. I appreciate

2:12

that passion and thanks for being

2:14

candid there. We're gonna turn now to

2:16

a conversation focused president Jim

2:18

Daley had with Dr. Erwin Lutzer who

2:20

shared ideas about how you can pray

2:22

for your children. Now

2:26

imagine praying this for your children.

2:28

I have often prayed it. If

2:31

you're out there today listening to us and you're

2:33

saying, well how do I begin? A good place

2:35

to begin would be the prayers

2:37

of the Apostle Paul. Jim,

2:39

think of how exciting it is to pray

2:41

this prayer for your children and

2:44

it is my prayer that your love

2:46

may abound more and more with knowledge

2:48

and discernment so that you

2:50

might approve what is excellent and

2:52

so be pure and blameless for the

2:54

day of Christ filled with

2:56

a fruit of righteousness that comes through

2:59

Jesus Christ to the glory and praise

3:01

of God. Look

3:04

at every phrase in that

3:06

verse. I have

3:08

frequently prayed this. I actually know it

3:10

by memory but today I'm reading it

3:12

lest I make a mistake but this

3:14

is Philippians chapter 1 verse 9. Take

3:18

a verse like that and

3:20

it is so critical that

3:22

you think in terms of how

3:25

can I pray for my

3:27

children scripturally and Jim

3:29

this is so exciting because at the end you

3:31

don't have to add if it be thy

3:33

will. Right, you know it's God's will. You know

3:36

it's God's will. Go through

3:38

the Psalms. Pray the Psalms for your

3:40

children. I love that. It just sounds

3:42

so active and it won't

3:45

become stale in that sense and

3:47

you can pray just such

3:49

a beautiful prayer over your kids every day

3:51

like your father did for you. Yes and

3:54

That's why I Think it's so important

3:56

that people read the Bible and. Read,

4:00

think through. How can I make this

4:02

into a prayer? I mean we could

4:04

even go through Psalm Twenty three. the

4:07

Lord is my shepherd. I pray that

4:09

the Lord will be there shepherd that

4:11

they might not want. I pray that

4:13

you might, you know And so you

4:16

go through the song and you pray

4:18

that song for your children as the

4:20

me move a little bit in a

4:23

direction to answer some questions that people

4:25

might be going through a day. Been

4:27

praying. Maybe they've been praying exactly like

4:29

you've recommended. They've been in

4:32

this long drought not hearing from God. And.

4:35

I think and are humanness we

4:37

tend to believe in gods not

4:39

listening. God doesn't care however you

4:41

express that. but as a parent

4:44

of a prodigal you been praying

4:46

for decades maybe and of see

4:48

it feels like God is not

4:50

hearing your prayers. How should they

4:52

process that. Silence.

4:55

A first of all, It is

4:57

so critical to realize that

4:59

the never interprets the silence

5:01

of God. The. As. The

5:04

indifference of God. God.

5:07

Is frequently silent, but he is

5:09

not indifferent. The

5:11

next thing that they have to do is to

5:13

never give up. And there's

5:15

a story in the New Testament and

5:17

of often preached about it's a woman,

5:19

the cyber of Phoenician woman. Who

5:22

heard the Jesus was coming into her

5:24

area and to the region of Tire

5:26

and Sidon? And she

5:29

went out to meet Jesus and she

5:31

said I have a demonize daughter. And.

5:33

I want you to heal that daughter. Now

5:36

let's just think about this. This.

5:38

Was totally counter cultural. You didn't

5:40

have a gentile woman go out

5:43

and meet thirteen Jewish men who

5:45

were coming into your district. Furthermore,

5:47

were was her husband. we don't

5:49

know, she was a single mother

5:51

so far as the story is

5:54

concerned, and there are plenty of

5:56

single mothers who are listening to

5:58

us today. She

6:00

comes out and she needs a

6:02

number of different very years. The

6:04

Jesus Point. Where

6:08

we're going to pick up the rest of

6:10

that incredible story from the bible next time.

6:13

Danny Right now. Their parents who are. I'm.

6:15

Sure, begging God to do something in

6:17

their child's life or this is may.

6:20

Just as a week or two ago,

6:22

I was talking to God and I

6:24

found myself really imploring him. Pretty.

6:26

Much begging him on a couple

6:28

of things. I am it can

6:30

be really helpful to be real

6:32

with God and to pour out

6:35

our hearts how to encourage us.

6:37

Their. Face to keep praying for a

6:40

child who might be in the middle

6:42

of a really difficult situation. In fact

6:44

I had a couple these moments that

6:46

recent conventions virat in of speaking in

6:48

the. That I'm

6:51

thinking about this particular mon. They

6:53

kinda are booze and was just

6:55

crying and she said i just

6:57

keep praying for my adult child

6:59

that that they're just not listening.

7:01

They're they're They're stepping away. They've

7:03

stepped away from the phase we're

7:05

We're struggling with this child. What

7:07

Do. I do not noticing the

7:09

same thing in my other child

7:11

and she just talk about her

7:14

home kind of unraveling. And here's

7:16

this home as than a home

7:18

school home, a family with where

7:20

they've been intentional and she says

7:22

had I thought we did everything

7:24

we were supposed to do and

7:26

now things are unraveling and where

7:29

we weren't As is God is

7:31

assessed for God. He cares deeply

7:33

for your kids, continue praying for

7:35

them, continue pursuing relationship with them

7:37

and. And as we talked about

7:40

different things in their lives, there

7:42

is potential. We're we're God is

7:44

going to reset their perceptions in

7:47

their perspectives. She just needs to

7:49

remain steadfast in in praying for

7:51

them. And we talked about a

7:54

variety of some some seventy seven

7:56

were a Sas isn't a place

7:58

of depression in. Doubts and

8:01

then midway through in that

8:03

chapter. A Saf realizes

8:05

God has been say saw in this

8:07

and and that In in that and

8:09

he starts to remember. can the memory

8:12

book the picture album that he has

8:14

with with God and that's what I

8:16

did with this mom. Just thinking about

8:18

the times we got has been save

8:20

for he's clearly there clearly pursuing her

8:23

children. Remember that remember the photo album

8:25

you've had along the way with God

8:27

and know that he wants to continue

8:29

to have that with your kids, to

8:31

keep praying and and space steadfast and

8:34

that he I'm. Sure, I've addressed this

8:36

before, but I'm fond of saying

8:38

the stories not over yet. Guess

8:40

we have such a narrow window

8:42

of time that we're looking through

8:44

God as above. All. Of

8:47

this and he knows up He knows

8:49

what he's going to do in your

8:51

child's heart. He is faithful. I so

8:53

appreciate that word Danny and we want

8:55

to encourage you if you are struggling

8:57

if you are of feeling like know

8:59

it's not going to work for me.

9:01

the gods not gonna move on my

9:03

behalf in my child's life give us

9:05

a call We're here to help. We

9:07

want to pray with you will I

9:09

give you some encouragement and out we

9:11

have counsellors who would counted privilege to

9:13

do that with you or number is

9:15

eight hundred. The letter A and the

9:18

word family and which is why remind you

9:20

you're not alone, will walk through at least

9:22

a little bit of this with you through

9:24

phone consultation. It's free and so call eight

9:27

hundred. A. Family or look for the

9:29

link in the show notes and then

9:31

if you want to get on a

9:33

road of regular prayer for your child,

9:36

This is a terrific book from Doctor

9:38

When Leutheusser, a practical guide for praying

9:40

parents are it'll be a source of

9:42

crete encouragement to to not give up

9:44

and we'll send that to you for

9:47

donation of any amount to the ministry.

9:49

Make a monthly pleasure one time gift

9:51

of any amount to cover the cost

9:53

of that will send it to you

9:55

as our way of saying thank you

9:57

for joining the sporting. For making a

9:59

post. The for us to have podcast

10:01

and so many other resources for parents.

10:03

Will hear more from Doctor or when

10:06

Leutheusser next time. For now I'm John

10:08

Fuller and on behalf of their danny

10:10

were to in the entire team. Thanks

10:12

for joining us for the focus of

10:14

the family piercing focus. It

10:19

can be challenging. To inspire your community

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to see life the way Gods.

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